They decided to keep the baby and contacted the local hospital, as Melissa had only taken the first of two pills as part of a chemical abortion.

At first they were told the foetus would not be affected, but the next day they discovered it would be.

"They said, 'It is too late - it has already starved the baby of oxygen. She will have to come in for the procedure or she will miscarry anyway in three or four weeks.' She was quite upset," Mrs Smith told BBC News.

She did not believe in abortion - but her daughter had been talked into having one, she said.

And the school had not told her the full details about her daughter's circumstances, Mrs Smith added.

Hospital scan

"They rang up and said, 'Why is your daughter not in school?' I said, 'She is in school.' And they said, 'She is not.'

"So I rang her mobile - but it was switched off.

"They rang up an hour later and said, 'Sorry, it was a mistake - she is in school.'"

If the school was obliged to tell parents, then it could stop many teenagers from seeking help